Mondelēz names SEA president

Mondelēz International has appointed Hemant Rupani (pictured) as president of its Southeast Asia business unit. Previously the MD of Mondelēz Kinh Do Vietnam, Rupani replaces Glenn Caton who has moved to another position in the company's global operations.

In his new role, Rupani will be responsible for the Southeast Asia cluster of markets including the exports business in the broader Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa region, leading growth and end-to-end business. Rupani said the Southeast Asia business has been on an accelerated growth path driven by increasing consumption, digital penetration, talented population, and cultural diversity in the region.

"We have built a reign as category leaders across segments with our portfolio of iconic global brands and local jewels. Combining our solid team, local-first strategy, and robust investments, we are in a strong position to lead the future of snacking and drive sustainable growth forward," Rupani added. According to his LinkedIn, Rupani joined Mondelez in 2016 and was based in India for three years as sales director.

He has more than 20 years of experience working in India, US and Vietnam covering various industries including F&B, telecommunications, and consulting. Throughout his career journey, Mondelēz said Rupani has enabled multiple business turnarounds, driven operational excellence, and built high-impact teams. Prior to joining Mondelēz International in 2016, he worked with several leading organisations including PepsiCo, Vodafone, Britannia, and Infosys Technologies.

"Over the years, we have learned to adapt in making the business more agile, resilient, and competitive. Digitalisation will play an increasing role to help us speed up innovation, strengthen proximity to consumers, and spearhead progress towards creating snacks the right way for both people and the planet to love," he explained.

For Mondelēz, the Southeast Asia region houses 10 manufacturing facilities and two technical centres that support its supply chain capabilities and product innovation. Early this year, Mondelēz invested US$23 million to expand its Oreo production line in Cikarang, Indonesia. The company has also integrated solar panel rooftops on two of its manufacturing plants in Malaysia, including the Cadbury chocolate production factory which has a 48-year-old heritage locally.

Separately, on the advertising front, the brand retained Wavemaker for its APAC media duties in August following a global pitch. Wavemaker has been a strategic partner to Mondelēz since 2019, and will continue working with the brand across Australia, New Zealand, India and Japan. In addition, Mondelēz has also extended duties to Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

“A true testament to regional best practices applications and adaptations, the extensive pitch process over the last six months involved a great deal of work. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank all the contributors from across our formidable global network that did an outstanding job,” said a Wavemaker spokesperson said previously.

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